With the specters destroyed, Allen and Nera collected the mana crystals the monsters left behind. They each put five of the stones in their bags. Allen took the larger one that came from the wraith-class specter. Not by choice, but because Nera affirmed that it was his duty since she had taken out all the specters mostly on her own.

‘My Dream Grasp didn’t go off when I touched any of the stones, not even the one from the wraith. It seemed automatic before but now it’s not working at all for those. That ability must have some extra conditions attached to it that I don’t know about.’ Allen pondered about all the mysteries behind the strange phenomena and its workings as Virtuoso headed to the exit.

When they walked out of the dilapidated museum, they unexpectedly found a small crowd had gathered around the building. These consisted of the residents of the area who wore plain and dreary clothing that was juxtaposed with the extravagant nature of the rest of the Luminaire District.

They were looking on attentively and talking in low voices. Unnerved by the strange spectacle, Allen spoke up.

“Hey, I just want everyone here to know that this was already like this when we got here.” Allen said with raised hands.

The crowd seemed to pay no heed to what he said and, instead, they continued to talk amongst each other in hushed whispers. Allen lowered his arms in confusion.

“Hey, what’s their deal?” Allen asked Nera.

“Could be anything, they’re living in the middle of the worst part of Luminaire District. Watching our exploits is probably the most fun they had in a while.” Nera posited boisterously as she walked right through the crowd of onlookers.

“You’re all welcome by the way.” She muttered under her breath.

Allen walked at a brisk pace to catch up to her as she sauntered off, trying his best not to run into any of the onlookers as they stared on. When he reached her, he lowered down to her ear level to whisper. “Should we really be expecting applause. It’s not like we really did it for them, right?”

Nera grimaced then threw out a hand that Allen barely dodged clumsily.

“Too close, Lackey! You whispering in my ear gives me the mega chills.”, Nera berated as she clutched her shoulders and mock shivered. Allen frowned and placed his uncast hand into his pocket.

“Sorry, Prima Donna, but you know a simple no would have worked just as good as that? You didn’t have to shave some years off my life.” Allen protested.

“Maybe, but then I wouldn’t have been able to watch you squirm.” Nera stated with a sly grin that reminded him of Amy, giving him actual shivers.

“I don’t need to know two people like that, one’s enough. Sheesh, Nera really has no consideration for the injured.” He thought, referring to his broken arm that was currently in a cast.

They walked past the crack-filled sidewalk beside the run-down buildings. Meanwhile, Allen could not help but notice that Nera seemed to be in much brighter spirits than usual. She had her hands grasped behind her back and appeared to be humming a tune that was too low for Allen to make it out.

“Hey, what are you in such a good mood for anyway? A new episode of Galaxina or whatever it’s called come out today?”, Allen snidely remarked.

She turned around with a spin while walking backwards and maintaining a grin on her face.

“Most people who are wearing a bag of heavy rocks and are aware that the person they’re mocking can take those rocks to bash them across the head with them would be more cautious dontcha think?”

“Never thought I’d be threatened with money before, but I’m glad I’m not someone like that.”

“Me too.”, she replied while turning back to face forward.

Allen tilted his head as he pondered if that was praise or a more concealed threat. He shrugged and dismissed it as irrelevant.

“Regardless, I wouldn’t mind converting these mana crystals into something less dangerous.” Allen stated.

“Speaking of which, how about we meet with Luka in order to get that done while we’re still in the Underworld?”, Nera questioned as she turned a corner and they spotted an automated trolley close by.

“It’s a good idea as any, that guy would probably know where to go in this place. How about that mana crystal broker you mentioned before?”

“Them? Seems like they’re busy with something else. However, from what Evelyn has told me, Luka is fairly knowledgeable about mana crystals himself.”

“Oh, I guess that works out well for us then.”

Allen was rather enthusiastic about the idea of selling the crystals for money. It seemed like something straight out of a RPG he played.

They reached and boarded the trolley. Nera was the first to enter and promptly inputted their destination.

The trolley sped off towards it with Allen being thankful that it did not ascend into the air this time. Nera clutched the railing and looked out the window at the whizzing buildings as the vehicle rolled down the street. Gradually, the run-down structures turned into sparkling establishments.

Allen noticed that she was once again humming that quiet tune from before and decided to bring up an earlier question.

“Alright, be upfront this time. What’re you so weirdly happy about?”

Nera sighed still and continued to face the window.

“If you’re going to be mega insistent about it, I guess I’ll tell you. You remember that fight with Harpe and Hache?”

“The memories are still fresh, what about it?”

“Well, it made me realize just how awesome I am.”, Nera declared flatly while Allen’s brow furrowed.

“I know it sounds odd, right? But for so long, I’ve felt like I was overwhelmed by so many things in my way. I felt I was powerless in the face of them, but in that you helped me realize that wasn’t the case. ‘You are amazing’, even after I got beaten to a bloody pulp you still believed in me.”, Nera chuckled.

“Let’s say that was the best motivational speech I could’ve gotten at the time. So, thank you.” Her genuine smile was reflected vaguely in the trolley window from Allen’s perspective.

Allen averted his eyes and scratched his chin awkwardly. Sincerity was one of his most powerful weaknesses.

“Is that all? Don’t mention it.” Allen said while not being able to keep a small grin off his face.

***

About half an hour had passed, Allen and Nera were now sitting on a bench at one entrance of the Starlit Pathway, a section of the Luminaire District renowned for its attractions and street performances. At least, this is what Allen was aware of and what seemed to be true by the dazzling tall buildings that lied in its direction along with the sound of laughter and applause that emanated from the busy street. Even the ocean breeze that wafted in from nearby was captivatingly crisp with a hint of salt.

Directing his attention elsewhere, the young man looked up and spotted a small group of birds perched on a building in front of them. Allen noticed something was odd about them and stared at the birds intently.

Upon closer inspection, he saw that the birds were actually mechanical and were glowing a bright orange.

‘Huh, wonder what that’s about?’ Allen pondered to himself. His mind had drifted far due to waiting.

“What time is he getting here? Is being extremely late a custom in this city?”

“And what if I told you it was?” A man’s voice could be heard close by.

Allen’s eyes darted to his right to see that the one who responded to him was none other than Luka himself, a young man with an orange and green streak of lightning going through his hair. He was wearing his signature green jacket and slightly ripped black jeans as well.

“Ah, you’re finally here, Doodles.’ Nera said with her head held by her hand.

“I am as well.”, they heard a feminine voice from the other direction of Luka but when they turned around they spotted no one close by. They gazed around in confusion until hearing the sound of grating laughter.

They looked at Luka again, and out from behind stepped a young woman in a light blue and white button-up sleeveless shirt and skirt. The shirt had frills at the shoulders and a high collar with frills as well. It was Evelyn, her bright blue eyes gleaming with mischief.

“You can throw your voice? Pretty impressive, that seems like it would be a really rare ability for a singer to have.”, Allen complimented.

“Well..that was rather good. It was even able to trick my ears.”, Nera begrudgingly admitted.

The short woman puffed her chest out in pride.

“You see a true songstress has a bevy of varied talents.”

“Hey you guys. Don’t inflate her ego even more than it already is.” Luka’s jest earned him a scowl from Evelyn. He acted oblivious and continued talking.

“Now, that we’ve arrived. I know a place right down this road that will pay good money for what you’ve gathered.”

Allen eyed Luka suspiciously at these words. “I don’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth, but you’re really gonna help us out this much for free?”

“Sure, just consider it a favor from fellow patrons of the R&R Lounge.”

Allen smirked and got up from the bench.

“Alright, no taking it back now. I really appreciate the favor. You can call in one from me as well later.”

“I’ll be sure to take up the offer if I ever need the help.”

Allen nodded then looked to the Starlight Pathway. At either side of the entrance were colossal statues of a serpent and wolf facing in opposite directions. He had noticed them earlier but neither he nor Nera could make heads or tails of them.

Luka followed Allen’s line of sight and realized what he was staring at.

“Oh those, they’re pretty grand works of art aren’t they? They’re called the Sibling Harbingers and they’re supposed to represent the world serpent, Jormungandr, and the monstrous wolf, Fenrir. Two creatures responsible for the collapse of the nine realms in Norse legend.”

“Well, they sure blew it out of the park with these. Those things are the size of football stadiums.”

“Hmph, if that impresses you then wait til you see what the rest of the Pathway has to offer.”

Allen grinned widely and grasped his hands behind his neck.

“Gotta see this for myself then now.” Allen walked ahead as Luka led the way.

“Wait a sec, we’re supposed to be trading items, not sightseeing.”, Nera reminded but the two young men we’re already immersed into their conversation about all the peculiar landmarks of the area.

Nera slumped her shoulders as her protests fell on deaf ears until she felt a dainty hand pat her on the back.

“We’ve got plenty of time and it’s not like we can’t do both. Plus, don’t you want to visit the gourmet food stands here that give out free samples?”

Nera grimaced. “Do they have scones here?”

“Super decorative ones filled to the brim with sweet confectionery delight.”

“...I guess stopping by a few of those places wouldn’t hurt. You know, because Allen really likes scones…probably.”

“Great!”, Evelyn exclaimed and dragged Nera by the arms forward with surprising strength, further into the Starlit Pathway.

***

It was not long before they reached a bridge that was mostly white with large black rectangles scattered along it. Every time people stepped on these shapes they would glow faintly and a musical note would ring out. Because of how busy the area was with many people coming and going. The air was filled with the sound of music.

“This bridge, don’t tell me, they designed it after a piano?”

“Yep, this is known as the Keyboard Bridge. It’s said to be the largest piano collaboration piece this side of Midgard.” Luka explained as the group walked over the structure. Allen’s attention was quickly taken away from the oversized piano keys.

“...Midgard? What do you mean by that?” Allen inquired in surprise. Just saying the word “midgard” was enough for him to feel a sense of dread run through him. It was the same name shared by the Expanse had trapped Nera and him in as well as one they had the power to manipulate their emotions freely with music.

“Midgard, it’s not that far away from here. The Realm of the Humans. The ninth ranked Astrean region. The Underworld’s Front Door?” Luka tilted his head in confusion as spouted out a bunch of titles as if he was relaying incredibly obvious information. Allen just looked on cluelessly.

“Luka, you idiot. He and Nera aren’t Underworlders so they wouldn’t know stuff like that. You gotta break it down for them if you want them to understand what the hell you’re talking about.” Evelyn scolded fiercely.

“Ah, sorry Ev, guess I forgot they were such complete newbies.” Luka chuckled in a manner that rubbed Allen and Nera both the wrong way.

“Alright, so here’s how it works. The Underworld is split into multiple different sections that each align to a specific culture’s mythos. You could say the Underworld is defined by the dreams of mankind. And if my dreams are included makes me wonder if there’s a castle out there filled with an array of beautiful-”

“Quiescis.” Evelyn whispered this word and Luka sharply angled his head away, reacting like a bolt of lightning had struck right next to him.

“I was going to say beautiful portraits. I wasn’t expecting to get such an unexpected personal opera in my ear, Songstress. ”

“Huh, what happened? Did she throw her voice again or was that some kind of mystic skill?”

“I was just looking out for you. If had actually said what I thought you were going to say, it would’ve been a lot worse.”, Evelyn warned as she folded her arms

Luka unclasped his ears and quickly regained his composure. Allen caught a glimpse of his black metallic fingers that seem to faintly reflect a shimmer of light.

“I’ll keep that in mind then. Anyway, I was talking about the Astrean regions, right? Well, they’re basically the Norse nine realms you’ve probably heard about and the section of the Underworld we’re in right now neighbors one of those, Midgard. Each of those regions has a varying level of ether concentration in their environment and they’re ranked accordingly with Asgard having the most dense concentration while Midgard has the least.”

Allen and Nera gasped in shock at the revelation that those realms actually existed. Allen was so dazed at the knowledge that he started replaying all the times he heard them mentioned before in Atelier. So wrapped in his own thoughts was he, that he did even notice Nera calling out to him.

‘If that’s the case then that means the Inheritor’s Marks are connected to real places so maybe if we learn more about the realms we can trace them back to the Inheritors.’

“Ahhh!” Allen walked right into a low hanging sign that was made of, unfortunately for him, a fairly durable metal. Allen rubbed his hand in an attempt to ease the pain.

“Dammit, what kind of idiot puts a sign in front of a restaurant?”

Nera had a condescending look on her face as if to say “I tried to warn you” while Evelyn and Luka were trying and failing to contain their laughter.

“Ugh, anyway, so the nine realms are somehow a thing, and since Atelier is close to Midgard, it has a similar level of ether concentration?”

Luka took a while to catch his breath before responding to Allen’s question.

“...That’s basically it. Ether provides a certain feedback to living creatures, sort of like static, in low concentrations it’s not perceptible at all but it gets so insanely intense at higher concentrations that Craftless humans wouldn’t even be able to last a minute in the ether dense regions.”

“If that’s the case then it makes sense that they’re so many normal people like me here then.”

“Yeah.” Evelyn had chimed in this time. “It’s said that Atelier City was originally made as a place where both Crafters and Craftless can share their talents to contribute to art and science.”

“Originally, huh? So is it not like that anymore?” A quick glance over to Nera made it seem to Allen that she had the same inference and maybe there was some other reason behind the troubled look on her face.

“Does she already know the details or not? I can never tell with her what she does and doesn’t know about Atelier City.”

After passing the Keyboard Bridge, they got to the main walkway of the Starlit Pathway where pedestrians filled the streets. There were tall buildings on either side of them designed in an art deco style with a classical aesthetic mixed with a modern appearance. They looked like architecture pulled straight from early 20th century France updated for the current era.

In one of the many stores that line the street, Allen saw some objects in a window display called Inscription Items. There was a sign that said something about inscribing your power into them.

Allen wondered what that was about, but kept moving along with the others.

As the walked through the busy streets, they saw a variety of street performers who wove Craft seamlessly into their acts. There was a performer who controlled leaves to make them whirl around in various shapes such as a carriage and even animals like a roaring lion. Another performer made ice sculptures out of thin air in an instant that they would then promptly disperse in a mist of refreshing snow flakes.

While Allen was watching the ice sculptor, he glanced over to the other side of the street to see that Nera was fixated on a dance performance. The performer could step on the air like a springboard to jump up outlandishly high and he fell so slowly that they could perform numerous maneuvers before reaching the ground.

‘That’s really cool. That Crafter’s medium must be the air itself.’

Aside from the spectacle of all the performances, Allen noticed something peculiar about the people in this area. That is, some of them seemed to be seeing and interacting with things that were not there. He saw some people who acted like they were with a group of people when they were by themselves and others who were staring at empty space.

A key feature they all shared in common was what appeared to be wide metallic devices worn around their necks like necklaces with a glass prism at the center. There was a myriad of colors swirling inside of the prism that varied from one device to the other.

“What’s with the people with those things around their necks? They seem to be pretty out of it.”

“Oh them? They’re using something called Veneer. It's sort of like AR technology taken to the next level.”

“Wait a sec, I don’t see any kind of headgear being used. How’s it showing them stuff?”

“Don’t tell me, are they some kind of brain-mind interface technology with sensory input being beamed directly into their brains?”, Nera questioned with a look of worry.

“What kind of sci-fi show did you get that from? There’s no way technology that absurd exists. It’s probably some kind of magic that beams stuff into people’s heads.” Allen stated assuredly.

Nera glared at Allen and he glared back but they were both interrupted from their impromptu staring contest by Luka speaking up.

“Well, you’re both laughably wrong. It’s not any kind of mundane technology and it doesn’t beam stuff into people’s minds either. Although, that would be interesting.”

“Then what does it do then?” Nera inquired impatiently and Luka ran his hand through his hair in mock nervousness.

“Hmph, I was getting to it. Anyway, it works by using ethereal particles to augment perception. You see something in their eyes.”

Allen and Nera glanced over at some of them and noticed there was a faint glow in their eyes then slightly nodded.

“That’s a coating of ether applied to their eyes to make them see things differently and it doesn’t stop there. The device can surround an entire person’s body in ether to augment their five senses and even more such as things like heat and even balance. That’s why it’s called Veneer because it’s like adding a coating of paint to reality. Pretty wild isn’t it? I’m no slouch when it comes to drawing but even I have to admit my best works aren’t that impressive when compared to that.”

“You say that like the two things are comparable.” Allen did not see the connection between drawing and such an advanced level of augmented reality.

“That’s just it. Before it’s inputted into the prism at the core of the device, the Veneer has to be shaped into whatever the desired perception of reality the artisan is hoping to achieve. It’s honestly rather incredible stuff, but I suggest you newbies don’t try to buy them.”

“You don’t have to remind us that we’re broke, Doodles.”

Luka smirked and looked over to Evelyn who rolled her eyes, aware that he was about to spout a line that he had said many times before. Luka opened up the collar of his jacket with hi metallic fingers being prominent. There was still a shine to them as he revealed a device around his neck that had a glowing green prism at its center.

“That’s not exactly it. It’s just that you might not being able to come back from the world of fantasy willingly.”